Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common form of arthritis, leading to pain disability in seniors and increased health care utilization. Acupotomy has been widely used to treat KOA. But its efficiency has not been scientifically and methodically evaluated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupotomy for the treatment of patients with KOA.

Genetic polymorphisms are related to the concentration and efficacy of oxcarbazepine (OXC). 10-Hydroxycarbazepine (MHD) is the major pharmacologically active metabolite of OXC, and it exerts an antiepileptic effect. This study aimed to explore the connection between the MHD concentration and genes such as ATP-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1), ATP-binding cassette C2 (ABCC2), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-2B7 and sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 2 (SCN2A), which participate in the antiepileptic function of OXC.Total 218 Chinese epileptic patients, were stratified into different groups according to their age, body mass index (BMI) and OXC efficacy. The genotypes of 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms in all subjects were determined by polymerase chain reaction-improved multiple ligase detection reaction assay. The MHD plasma concentration was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography and then standardized through dosage and body weight.In general, the ABCC2 rs2273697 mutant (P = .026) required a significantly higher standardized MHD concentration. For age groups, carriers of the ABCC2 rs2273697 mutant showed a significantly higher standardized MHD concentration than noncarriers in the juvenile group (P = .033). In terms of BMI, a significantly higher standardized MHD concentration was found in the ABCB1 rs2032582 mutant of the normal weight group (P = .026). The SCN2A rs17183814 mutant required a significantly higher OXC maintenance (P = .014) in the low-weight group, while lower OXC maintenance dose (P = .044) and higher standardized MHD concentration (P = .007) in the overweight group.The ABCC2 rs2273697 polymorphism was significantly associated with MHD plasma concentration in the whole patient cohort and in patients stratified by different ages, this finding provides potential theoretical guidance for the rational and safe clinical use of OXC.

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin for pain management following spine surgery.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a crucial role in the immune response to many malignancies, but the signaling pathways by which the glioma microenvironment cross-talk with TAMs are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to uncover the potential signaling pathways of the regulation of TAMs and identify candidate targets for therapeutic intervention of glioma through bioinformatics analysis.Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets were used to download RNA-Seq data and microarray data of human glioma specimen. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between CD68-high samples and CD68-low samples were sorted. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the DEGs was conducted. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were formed to identify the hub genes.The prognostic value of TAMs in glioma patients was confirmed. A total of 477 specific DEGs were sorted. The signaling pathway was identified in pathway enrichment and the DEGs showed prominent representations of immune response networks in glioma. The hub genes including C3, IL6, ITGB2, PTAFR, TIMP1 and VAMP8 were identified form the PPI network and they were all correlated positively with the expression of CD68 and showed the excellent prognostic value in glioma patients.TAMs can be used as a good prognostic indicator in glioma patients. By analyzing comprehensive bioinformatics data, we uncovered the underlying signaling pathway of the DEGs between glioma patients with high and low expression level of CD68. Furthermore, the 6 hub genes identified were closely associated with TAMs in glioma microenvironment and need further investigation.

Immunotherapy is emerging as a new treatment strategy for gastric cancer(GC). However, the efficacy and safety of this technique remain unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effect of cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK)/dendritic cell-cytokine-induced killer cell (DC-CIK) treatment for GC after surgery.

The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with myocardial infarction.

RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators are essential for a variety of biological functions, such as early development, viral infections, and cancer. However, their roles in Alzheimer disease (AD) are still not very clear. Here, 16 significant m6A regulators were identified using difference analysis between AD patients and non-demented controls based on the GSE132903 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Using these 16 m6A regulators, a nomogram model was established to predict the prevalence of AD. We found that patients could obtain a good clinical benefit based on this model. In addition, we revealed 2 distinct m6A patterns and 2 distinct m6A gene patterns in AD and demonstrated their prognostic and risk assessment significance. This present work comprehensively evaluated the functions of m6A regulators in the diagnosis and subtype classification of AD. These results suggested they have potential prognostic and risk assessment significance in AD.

This study to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) following influenza A (H1N1) infection.We retrospectively analyzed 10 cases with IPA following H1N1 infection. The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination results, chest computed tomography, and treatments were analyzed.Clinical manifestations: all 10 cases had typical flu-like symptoms at the onset of the disease, among which 7 patients developed dyspnea in the late stage, and 8 patients had hemoptysis. Laboratory examination: the absolute and percentage of peripheral blood lymphocytes in all 10 patients were declined, among which 5 cases were with decreased CD3+ CD4+ T cells/lymphocytes; 9 cases with increased bronchoalveolar lavage fluid galactomannan; 6 cases with increased serum galactomannan; 1 case with bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cultured aspergillus fumigatus; and 2 cases with aspergillus by second-generation sequencing. Chest computed tomography: all patients showed multiple diffused ground-glass opacities at the beginning, along with linear or reticular interstitial changes. Two cases had multiple subarachnoid nodules with halo signs, 3 cases had consolidation in multiple segments of both lungs, 2 cases had cavities, and 4 cases were with pleural effusion. Treatment: 10 patients were treated with antiviral and anti-Aspergillus drugs after admission. Four patients received respiratory support. All 10 cases were cured and discharged.Early diagnosis of IPA in influenza A (H1N1) patients is the key to successful treatment.